New Beginnings
by Scarred Secrets
Summary: A story about the WWE's newest Diva and the impact her new career has on her life.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N. **First time doing something like this. It was originally typed up on my phone so please forgive any major errors you may come across. Always love reviews! Encourages me to update! 3

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, but Elysium. All WWE characters and stories belong to the WWE, not me. Elysium's theme is an Adam Lambert song called Beg For Mercy.

**Chapter 1**

* * *

"Ooh oh-ho-oh  
Whoah oh-ho-oh."

The crowd erupts into catcalls and hollers. It was a mixed reaction as the WWE's newest Diva made her way down the ramp.

"From Las Vegas, Nevada introducing the partner  
Eli Talos!"

'The stars Collide  
They fall to earth alive  
As my hunger hides  
Desires that are burning

Ready to land I shall overcome And when you're numb  
A deeper breath goes out

Whoah oh-ho-oh  
I'll make you beg for mercy

I'll make you beg for mercy  
Yeah-eh hah-yeah  
Come to settle the score'

She's a pretty little thing, wearing an almost mischievous smirk on her lips. She stops half way down the ramp, one well manicured hand on her hip as she turns her dark green eyes onto the audience, seemingly gauging their reaction to her. She has a cocky air about her as the hand not on her hip reaches up and grabs the long dirty blond braid that hung over her shoulder, tossing it behind her. She turns her attention to the opposite side of the arena, her movements starting down the ramp again, though her hand remained firmly planted to her hip.

'We rule the sun  
We rule the sun  
Yeah eh eh  
I'll make you beg for mercy  
Come to settle the score  
Wo oh oh

My adrenaline is pumpin'  
Yeah eh eh  
I got it next to nothing  
Wo oh oh  
Come to settle the score

I'll make you beg for mercy  
Wo oh oh I'll make you beg for mercy  
Yeah eh eh  
Come to settle the score.'

When she reaches the ring, she takes a sharp right towards the stairs, lifting herself onto the turnbuckle and standing with an arm crossed over her chest, the elbow of her other arm resting against the top of her hand as the fingers of that same arm rest against her lips. She surveys the crowd once more before jumping down into the ring, same cocky smirk curling her lips. She finds her corner where her partner for this match awaits. It's her first mixed tag team match since signing with the company three months ago. Her dark eyes catch the hazel of the one and only CM Punk, or as she knew him Phil Brooks. His character was terribly resistant to her charms and looked as if he'd rather be anywhere else. Her character chose to hold her head high and disregard him the same way he disregarded her.

She must have joined the company at a time the writers weren't completely stupefying anything with breasts because the Diva's all seemed to be allowed to portray their characters with a bit more substance than usual. Barbie had been telling her how great it was to finally have decent storylines to work with, just minutes before Eli had to go on. The beautiful blonde had been the first in the locker room to talk to her and they had become fast friends.

Eli's attention was drawn to the ring, where her partner was in a squabble with his opponent Dolph Ziggler (whom she knew as Nick). Across the ring, Nikki Bella stood in his corner, though the pretty Bella twin was bickering with Vickie. Eli had to give it to the older woman, she sure could play a good obnoxious asshat. The things the fans said about her were awful, but the woman was a hella good drinking partner.

Suddenly the ref was pushing Punk back, Dolph had caught Nikki's hand and she had entered the ring. She stood hesitant as the ref had to forcefully push Punk away. The Superstar glared darkly at his Diva as she glided into the ring. He snapped at her not to mess things up, and she'd smirked at him.

She wasn't sure how it had happened, but the match had ended in a disqualification, Chris Jericho having interrupted right when Punk had Dolph pinned. Instead of fleeing ringside, Eli had stayed put as Jericho unleashed his vicious assault on her partner. On her q she got into the ring and shoved Jericho from behind, dropping by Punk's side and helping him to his feet. Jericho had only been momentarily stunned by the attack, but it was long enough to give Punk time to recover, he'd shrugged her off of him and in the end Jericho was the one laid out in the ring.

Punk's theme played loud in the arena. He still stood in the ring, eyes lingering on the Diva who had saved his ass. He said something that was indistinguishable to the audience, and Eli stepped towards him. He grabbed her hand and raised her arm in the air with his. The crowd went wild.

"You did great out there E!" Barbie's voice reached her ears as she walked behind the curtain and through the double doors with Phil. Eli wore a huge smile as Phil leaned down and told her he definitely agreed with Barbs. It took everything she had to keep back a blush that threatened to warm her skin. He grinned at her before he disappeared, probably to get water from hospitality. "Thanks Barbie." Eli smiled, and they were soon joined by The Bella's and Vickie. Even Beth had complimented her, and if there was one single person Eli was intimidated by, it was Beth.

"It's always a plus when you've got good chemistry with your plotmates." Brie had smirked, insinuating something Eli didn't even want to touch on.

"Hey, E," Nikki started, "How do you say your first name? I caught it on your locker tonight, very unusual."

Eli sent Nikki a look that said 'thank you, I really didn't want to discus my painfully obvious attraction to Phil' "Elysium. My parents named me after a Greek version of an afterlife...I would have settled for Erica to be honest."

She'd hung out backstage for the remainder of the show, considering taking a shower but deciding to just wait until she got back to her hotel room. The girls had invited her out to get drinks but Eli was just to tired, this was the most she had done in one night on a show and it really was exhausting work.

When the arena had finally cleared out, Eli headed down to the garage to retrieve her rental. It was pretty beat up but she wasn't making the kind of money to afford something fancy, she would rather use what she made on other things anyways.

If she didn't feel so grimy she would have just collapsed into bed when she got to the hotel. Especially after she got to the tenth floor, realized her key wasn't working, had to go back down to the lobby and get it magnetized, then go back up. These elevators didn't reach their destination quickly either. So before collapsing into bed she had showered quickly. It was going to be an early morning, her and the other Diva's had a photoshoot downtown and then it was off to the airport. Tulsa, Oklahoma would be the destination. She was pleased that she had the first house show off but that time would be spent reading the script for her next appearance on Raw. Guess she'd be kicking it off at Phil's side.

With one last sigh Elysium curled into her comforter and quickly drifted to sleep. So far, life was being kind to her.


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N. **Chapter 2! Again all of this gets typed up on my phone as I don't have a computer, I use a computer at a library to upload my chapters. Lol. Reviews are loved! I was disappointed that so many of you get alerts for this story but didn't leave any reviews.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Her stomach gurgled nastily as she sat at the desk in her new hotel room. The photo shoot and plane ride had all gone by uneventfully, and now she was reading over the script she had been provided with. Dialogue was often improvised, the script was just a basic lay down on how the big guys wanted everything to go and if it was a match layout the predetermined winner was always announced at the bottom of the last paper. She was under strict orders to shred the documents when she no longer needed them.

A murmured curse spilled from her lips. She hadn't had a thing to eat since the plain, nothing extra bagel she had been provided at the photo shoot. She had been honestly offended that she wasn't "allowed" to add butter, but Barbie had told her not to worry about it, once they were out of there they could have anything they wanted. Eli just hadn't had the chance to get anything, and airplane food was very unappetizing. She glanced over at the digital clock that sat on a nightstand, it was only 7pm. She hadn't got a rental when they arrived, instead she had rode in a cab with a few of the other girls. Boy was that cab driver happy.

She could get room service, but she really wanted real pizza, not that so-called gourmet crap hotels liked to serve. The clerk at the front desk would be able to give her a few suggestions; she'd just call a cab. Mind made up, Eli threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, grabbed a light jacket, her bag, and her phone and hit the elevators.

"It's nothing fancy, just a regular pizza, grinders, burger kinda place." The clerk described, and Eli smiled. Just what she wanted.

"Falls Pizza, right?" The woman double checked and the clerk nodded, "Thanks, ugh," she squinted a little to read his name tag, "Ben."

He flashed her a smile and waved as she slipped out of the doors. What she didn't expect was to run right into a solid body. She would of fell over if it wasn't for the arms that stabilized her. How embarrassing! She flushed as she looked up, catching a pair of hazel eyes with her own. Her flush deepened to a dark maroon as she realized who those eyes belonged to. "Oh geez, sorry Phil." She squeaked out, embarrassing herself further.

He laughed then, an actual freaking laugh and Eli would have done anything to crawl under a rock in that moment. "Relax, princess." he was grinning at her. "No big deal."

She had to force a smile, her face on fire. How she managed to stay so composed when working with him she hadn't a clue. "Well, uhm...see you around?" Duh! They worked together, what the hell was wrong with her tonight?

"You know it. Keep your eyes open sweetheart, wouldn't want to walk into something less generous then I." He winked before disappearing into the building she had just come out of.

She burned a deep crimson as she noticed the cab pull up to the curb. She hurriedly got into the vehicle. The driver got her to her destination quickly and without incident. She'd wound up in the same cab after she'd placed her order and received her pizza. It was tempting to stay and chow down but being in strange places alone was a big anxiety for her.

"Eli!" The diva looked up just as she walked into the lobby of the hotel, dark eyes catching sight of Barbie. Eve and the twins were with her, they looked like they were going to be going out.

Eli smiled. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"What's up with you and that pizza?" Eve countered, a grin twisting her glossed lips.

"Seriously, you aren't gonna eat that on your own are ya?" Brie prodded.

"We can help ya." Stephanie/Nikki pressed, hovering near the aromatic pizza box.

Eli was slightly taken back by the way the girls were acting, but realized they had all had the exact same breakfast as her, so it wasn't really surprising. Weren't they going out anyways?

"Uhh..."

"You are totally sharing." Barbie giggled delightfully. At this point the four girls were leading Eli towards the elevators. She was not being given any choice in the matter. On the bright side, at least she wouldn't have to feel guilty for eating the whole thing on her own.

"You know you are SO into him." Barbie pointed out.

"Excuse me?" Eli choked a bit on the food she had been attempting to swallow. Everyone's eyes were on her.

"Phil, Eli! It is crazy obvious."

"You can't be serious." Eli frowned. "I barely know the man! Not to mention, if I were two years younger he'd be ten years older." She was starting to see the disturbing similarities between her new job and high school.

"Oh please Elysium! You know damn well you are." Eve said with a roll of her eyes, "Besides I don't blame you, the man is gorgeous."

"Eh, I wouldn't say gorgeous." Nikki cut in, receiving an elbow in her gut from her sister. "Brie! What the hell."

"You are so not the one to judge a man's gorgeous level. Alberto, Nikki? He looks like a greased up hotdog."

Brie's words caused an eruption of laughter from the group of girls, Eli included.

"Hey! This has nothing to do with me! This is about Eli crushing on Punk!" The other twin retorted, seeming to bring the girls back from their fits of laughter.

"She's right. Come on Eli. There is nothing wrong with having a thing for the man. You know, I heard from Beth that he can do this killer thing with his tongue..." Barbie trailed off, most likely imagining what this "killer thing" was.

If Eli hadn't been blushing before, she sure was now. Her mind traveling in the same direction Barbie's was. "Gosh E, ain't like you're a virgin." Eve said.

"Well no...but still! It's kind of awkward to be thinking about jumping the man's bones when we are supposed to be working together."

"Just think of it this way:" Nikki started.

"It's damn obvious what direction they are taking this storyline in." Brie continued.

"You can use it to your advantage!" Eve declared.

"Improvising won't be a problem." Barbie finished.

Eli gawked at the four girls. "Are you all like psychically linked or something? Perhaps quads?"

"That's not the point." All four girls said at once.

Eli scrunched her face up. "Okay, now I'm getting creeped out.

Barbie laughed, "Sorry, E. We were just saying..."

"I get it." The newest diva sulked. "Is it really THAT obvious?"

"Obvious enough that even dunder head Mike noticed." Nikki said, nodding her head as an image of "Mr. Awesome" sifted through everyone's brains.

"Ugh, speaking of Mike, you know what he said to me the other day?" Eve scrunched her nose.

"Now what?" The twins prodded.

"Alright, so I bumped into him backstage, and you all know how he is. Anyways I apologize and he looks at me, and he goes 'Do you have a license for that wagon you're draggin'?'" laughter erupts in the room once again.

"Oh my God...that man couldn't be a bigger dork if he tried." Eli got out between fits of laughter. Mike was a nice guy, but he really couldn't take a hint.

The girls had gossiped and giggled for a while longer before everyone decided it was time to get back to their rooms for the night. They had just finished saying goodbye when Eli realized what time it was.

It was going to be a rough morning tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N. Here's chapter 3, a little more in ring action!**

* * *

**Chapter 3  
**

He is standing so close to her she can feel the heat radiating off his body. The crowd around them cheering and screaming. She had just had a match against Natalya that she hadn't won. She had been trying to recover and get to her feet when Chris Jericho had slid into the ring. His eyes held malicious intent. She stumbled to her feet, backing away in fear. It was only seconds later that CM Punk was standing in front of her, easily blocking her from Jericho's line of sight.

They exchanged heated words, Jericho spit at Punk's feet before exiting the ring. He had gone around Punk, her savior protectively keeping her out of his rivals reach.

She was breathing heavily as Punk turned to face her, their eyes locked and Eli broke out into an exhausted smile. "Good work." He mouthed to her just as she leaned up and caught his mouth with her own. It was far from an innocent chaste kiss and kind of pushed the whole "pg" rating thing but the crowd loved it almost as much as Eli did.

She was somewhat aware that they held the kiss longer then needed, but the Diva was currently vacationing on Cloud 9. She felt her body mold against his when he roughly pulled her against him.

This is what the fans had thought was going to happen at the start of the show when Punk and Eli had entered the arena together. Whatever disappointment they had suffered was definitely gone now. When they pulled apart Eli was even more out of breath then she had been before, a blush from her cheeks to her chest. 'Holy shit.' Was her only thought. So THAT was the tongue thing Beth had told Barbie about.

Punk was smirking at the flustered Diva whom was having a difficulty distinguishing what was acting and what was real. When his music blared out over the arena it was enough to snap Eli back into herself. She returned Punk's smirk, albeit late, with one of her own.

They left the arena together. This time there was no Barbie waiting for her on the other side, Ms. Barbara Blank had the night off and was without a doubt spending it with Mr. Cody Runnels. "Not bad, princess, not bad at all."

She jabbed him playfully with her elbow in response to his obvious teasing. She found she had too much energy and excitement welled inside of her to be embarrassed. "You weren't so bad yourself, Punk." She grinned, using his ring name.

His smirk sent chills (the good kind) down her spine. "How about something to drink, Elysium?"

It was that moment she realized how thirsty she was and didn't hesitate nodding and heading to hospitality. She grabbed a Gatorade and coffee roll settling into a comfortable position on one of the empty tables. Phil had grabbed a bottled water that he already had cracked open.

Whistling filled the air as a few more Superstars entered the room. Kevin/Alex Riley and Chris had smirks splitting their faces. "God damn! That was helluva kiss." Kevin complimented. "Sure it wasn't real?"

"It had to be, something that hot can't be faked." the familiar voice of Cameron flittered into the room. The dark skinned beauty had a smirk of her own carved on her face.

Eli squirmed in her spot, her adrenaline wearing off as she felt a hot blush spread over her. "Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't." Was Phil's nonchalant response which only served to deepen Eli's skin tone.

Chris laughed as he gathered his plate from the table. That man took like six donuts AND a giant danish. "You play nice with her Phillip." The older man teased as he walked away.

What was this? A who can make Elysium blush the brightest contest? "Hey, Eli, are you cabbing it back to the hotel tonight?" Alex questioned, curiously.

"Uh, yeah, why? Are you offering a ride?"

"No but Phil is, right Phil?" Cameron looked far to innocent as she spoke.

The Straight Edge Punk seemed completely un phased by the Diva and Superstar's obvious scheming. "What'ya say, princess? Want a ride?"

"Sure..." She managed with a hesitate undertone; her stomach was filled with butterflies. The man turned her into a puddle of mush. "When are ya leaving?"

"Right now."

"Well let's hurry up and get your bag Eli." Cameron grinned pulling the shorter woman off the table she had been sitting on. Poor girl didn't even get to take a bite of her coffee roll as she was dragged to the women's locker room.

"Dude, she is hot." Kevin said, slinging an arm around Phil's shoulders, eyes glued to the two backsides.

Phil glanced at the other man, raising a brow. "Which one?"

Kevin laughed. "You got a point. I got dibs on Cameron."

"Good because you don't have a chance with Eli."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do, E." Cameron winked, giving the other woman a light shove out of the parking lot doorway. "I'll be grilling for details later, I gotta go find Naomi, we are on in a few!"

Not only seconds after the doors closed behind Cameron, they opened again. Phil had his duffel slung over his shoulder and he had put on a pair of sweat pants. "Pushy lot aren't they?" He half-teased, before taking the lead.

His rental was as beat up as hers had been back in Ohio. Somehow she'd expected something a little flashier like a Camaro or a Mustang. "Isn't worth it sweetheart, especially for only a couple days." He seemed to read her mind.

She grinned as she got into the passenger side, tossing her bag in the back. That was exactly how she felt, granted his pay check was definitely bigger than hers.

"Been having fun?" She looked over at him, the silence that had followed the departure from the parking lot broken.

"Loads." She said honestly. "Can't kick the feeling I'm going to botch something though."

"Nerves. We all have 'em. You'll get used to it."

She paused before replying, taking a breath. "Thanks Phil."

"For?"

"Well, not being a dick. I came into this not knowing what to expect, but for the most part everyone has been pretty cool if not just outright helpful."

"You've had it lucky. Not everyone is as nice Eli." He said seriously, then a grin broke out on his face. He glanced briefly at her, but returned his eyes to the road quickly. "How about a bite to eat, sweetheart?"

She was surprised and not sure what to think so she played it cool. "What do you have in mind?"

"Pasta, but it's too late for that so I'd settle for some fries and a shake."

"I'd die for a burger right about now."

He laughed. "Well it's your lucky night, you're not gonna have to die for it."

Eli couldn't help but smile, dark eyes settling on the road ahead. He'd pulled into a Wendy's drive thru and placed their order. When they pulled to the payment window, Eli had turned in her seat to retrieve her bag. She didn't expect him to pay for hers, but right as her hand closed around the material of the duffel one of his hands stopped her. "I got it."

"But," she looked back at him from her awkward position.

"I got it." He repeated flashing her a smirk before leaning out of the window to pay the teenager.

Eli slid herself back into the seat, her hand reaching for her braid and pulling it out from behind her, slinging it over her shoulder. "Thanks."

"Hey, aren't you,"

"Yep." Phil cut the kid off. Poor boy went from looking bored to death to totally star struck. "Keep the change kid."

"But that was a twenty!"

"You got extra for not asking me to sign anything."

Before the kid could say anything Phil had drove to the next window and retrieved the bag and his vanilla shake before driving off. "Poor boy." Eli laughed, taking the bag when Phil offered it. She took her burger out, unwrapping half of it and taking a bite. She even stole a few of Phil's fries when she thought he wasn't looking.

"Don't think I didn't see you stealing my fries, princess." She looked a little startled as she looked over at him over the roof of the car. She had just grabbed her bag out of the backseat and was closing the door. A tiny blush spread across her cheeks at being caught. But the smirk he wore was enough to settle any anxiety she may have felt. "Just for that, you're paying next time."

"I got'cha." She grinned sheepishly before she fully realized what he said. There was going to be a next time? The walk to the hotel lobby was peacefully silent until they got to the elevator.

"Floor?"

"Pardon?" She glanced at him.

"Floor sweetheart, what floor are you on?"

"Oh!" This time she didn't blush. "7." She smiled when he pressed the 7 and then the 8. When the ding sounded at the 7th floor she turned to him, "Thanks Phil, for the ride...and the food."

"Anytime, sweetheart." He wore a smile as she stepped out of the elevator. She watched until the doors closed before making her way to her room. When the door closed behind her she broke out into a face splitting grin. She ran the shower in the bathroom, then dropped her bag on the bed. Something told her she would be having sweet dreams this night.


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N. **Chapter 4. I got all of these written out the last two days, they would have been up yesterday but my son stayed home from daycare so I wasn't able to get to the library.

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**Chapter 4**

She had a pair of orange earbuds in her ears as she leaned back into her comfy airplane seat. She was catching an early flight to Boston. She wasn't going to have any free time in her home state, so she'd decided to leave a few days earlier so she could drive from Logan Airport to Springfield, MA and visit with her sister. She would have taken a flight to Bradley, which was closer to her destination but getting a rental vehicle from Connecticut, when she would be going back to Boston made no sense.

When she had called Helena, her younger sister had been ecstatic. It had been perfect timing because she'd just found out she was pregnant. Helena was four years younger than herself, making her JUST 21, but she had married her high school sweetheart the year before. He had come from a wealthy family and was currently going to law school. Why they still lived in Springfield, Elysium would never understand. It had been a short phone call as Helena had been leaving the doctor's office with Henry when Eli had called.

Helena had let her know it was okay to come to the house for a couple days, and that it had been SO exciting to see her on TV, AND that they had a lot to talk about. Eli had packed up her things and headed out but not before checking with the bosses to make sure they didn't need her for anything. They'd let her know that she HAD to be in Boston before Monday because she had a promo shoot with Phil and Chris early Monday morning. Why they schedule these things so early was beyond her.

Sometime during the flight, Eli had fallen asleep. When the buckle seat-belts light flashed on and the pilot came over the speakers, she had been startled awake by a flight attendant whom she graciously thanked.

The drive from Boston to Springfield was a very long two and a half hours but when she finally got off of the masspike she grabbed McDonalds and headed to her sister's house. She lived in the Forest Park Historical district, which was a diamond in the rough, as the rest of the Forest Park area was turning into a ghetto.

Her sister was running out of the house to greet her before she even got her bags out of the rental. This time she had an 04 Volkswagen which was more presentable than the 92 Buick she'd rented in Ohio. "Elysium! Oh my God I missed you! Haven't seen you since the wedding!"

Helena had her in a vice grip, but from what Eli had seen of her she was radiant. Her sister had always been beautiful though, vibrant red hair, meadow green eyes, flawless ivory skin. She was a replica of their mother, while Eli looked more like their father. Eli's natural hair color was slightly darker then what she had it, caught somewhere between being a light brown and a very slight red. Her eyes were a very dark green and could easily be confused with brown. "You look wonderful Helena." Eli smiled, pulling back from her sister.

The time she spent with her sister had been wonderful. They talked about EVERYTHING, including the time Eli had spent with Phillip Brooks. Her sister had squealed and told her that she knew it! That there was no way, that kiss had been fake, it was too real. To passionate, she'd continued on and on until Eli stopped her with a laugh. She'd explained to her that the kiss had been nothing more than just good acting, in which she got a 'yeah right' in response.

Now Eli was sitting back in a folding chair, just having finished her photo shoot with her plotmates. She was still wearing the skimpy black dress they'd put her in for the last picture. It was the roster photo they were going to use whenever Phil had a match that she would be accompanying him to the ring. Guess the fans really liked where this storyline was going.

"Hey."

She looked up just as Phil flopped into the chair next to her, he looked as tired as she felt. "Hey." She said back, offering a small smile. She hadn't seen him since she left him in that elevator a week ago.

"Hanging in there?"

"Just barely." Eli laughed. These mornings were something she would never get used to.

He laughed as well, his head leaning back as he closed his eyes. "Need a ride?"

"I got a rental this time." She said with a grin.

"Well that's too bad, I was thinking pancakes." He opened one eye to look at her.

"My treat or yours?"

"Mine of course. You owe me dinner sweetheart, not breakfast."

She couldn't help the blush that spread across her cheeks. Did he just obscurely ask her out to dinner? "Pancakes sound wonderful Phil."

"My car or yours?" He was already standing up. They'd both have to change before they went anywhere.

"Yours. I just drove two and a half hours yesterday, I'm all driven out." Eli smiled before she too got to her feet. They went their separate ways; Eli changed back into her black jeans and red tank top, collected her belongings and met Phil outside. She had taken a little extra time unraveling her braid and removing the to bright lipstick.

"Ready?" He grinned, unlocking the car doors. His rental was nicer than his last one as well.

She only smiled as she got in the passenger seat. She pulled the seatbelt on and let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "You know if I didn't know any better I'd say this was a date."

"I was under the impression this was a date, princess."

She turned to catch his eyes with hers, a small amount of surprise flitting across her face before a smile settled across her lips. "Hm, it's a date then."

He returned her smile with one of his own before starting the car and driving off.

Phil brought them to an Ihop, and they were settled into a booth sitting across from each other. There weren't very many other people in the restaurant, it being 7:30 in the morning and all. "Know what you want?"

"Chocolate chip pancakes and bacon." Eli said thoughtfully as she gazed at her menu. "And maybe some scrambled eggs. Coffee for sure."

He was smirking at her but before he could say anything the waitress approached the table. She didn't even glance in Eli's direction as she took their orders, she even called Phil "baby" before walking away. "What nerve." Was all Eli could manage, she was still gawking.

Phil put his arms up in defense. "Hey I didn't instigate any of that. All I did was look at her."

"Never said you did, _baby_." Eli shook her head, replacing her open mouthed look with a smile, emphasizing the word baby.

He smirked. "I think I like the sound of that."

Eli laughed just as the waitress came back with her coffee and his hot chocolate. "Excuse me, but could you bring my _girlfriend _here some extra creamer?"

It was the first time the waitress looked in her direction and it was very brief. "Yeah, sure." She had said with underlying acid in her tone. No tip for this bitch. "Man I hope she didn't spit in my coffee..." Eli glanced down into her coffee cup just as the waitress walked away again. She turned her gaze back to Phil.

He was still wearing a smirk. "I doubt it. I'm sure its fine."

Eli raised a brow at him. "So, Phil," she started, "I could probably wiki this information but what do you do for fun?"

He shrugged. "I like to go to the shooting range."

"Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack, princess."

"...sounds thrilling." Eli replied, honestly. She could see why a person would find such an activity entertaining.

"What about you, Elysium? Somehow I think your wiki page might be a little lacking in detail. I might just write it myself if you tell me enough."

She held back a laugh. "Well, this might sound a little lame, but I love playing scrabble. Movies are great too."

"Scrabble, huh?" He took a sip of his hot chocolate, seemingly in thought. "We'll have to play sometime..."

"Only if you teach me how to fire a shotgun." She retorted with a smirk that was more like her character then herself.

"You got a deal." He smirked right back. The waitress came back with their food and the extra cream for Elysium's coffee.

"That woman was SUCH a bitch." Eli complained as she sat in Phil's rental. He was taking her back to the studio to get her rental.

"She was jealous of you."

Eli blushed slightly, but she supposed he was right. She was just really irritated that she'd been treated like that, it wasn't her fault Phil was so hot. "Let's not go there anymore." She declared.

"We'll be in Europe in a couple weeks, don't need to worry about that Eli."

She glanced over at him just as she smiled, getting comfortable in her seat. When they pulled into the studio parking lot and came to a stop, she turned towards him. "This was...nice."

"Really nice." He grinned, catching her eyes with his. "Do you have Friday night off?"

"I think. I'll have to double check."

"Let me know. You can take me to that dinner you owe me."

"Alright." Her smile widened, "I'll see you tonight, and I'll let you know then."

"I'll hold you to that, Elysium. I'll catch you later."

"Okay, Phil." She said, deciding to lean over and place a soft kiss against his lips, it was brief and not nearly as satisfying as the onscreen kiss they shared the previous week. "Bye." She half whispered as she climbed out of the car, easily locating her own. She had to get back to the hotel and clean up, she had to be at the arena by 3:30 and she'd promised Barbie she'd come by her room for a little while.

Eli wore an excited smile on her face the whole way back to the hotel.


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N. **This chapter is shorter than usual. I finished it on the bus while bringing my son to daycare this morning. To my reviewer requesting use of personal tour buses I am going to try and incorporate it. If anyone has requests of any kind, please feel free to ask, I am always willing to try out new things.

I don't know if anyone noticed, but Eli is from Massachusetts, not Nevada, she is simply billed as being from Nevada. And Talos is not her real last name.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

When his music plays, Eli walks out to the ramp with him, her arms crossed over her chest as she stands off to his side. His entrance routine is just about the same, minus the close proximity his "new girl" is always at. When he gets up on the turnbuckle with his belt she stands with a smirk, arms crossed just watching him. He motions for her to come forward, she stops just inches from the spot he jumps down to. Their lips meet in a quick but rough kiss, just as his opponents music starts. It's Alex Riley.

Punk and Eli exchange words just as the ref motions for her to get out of the ring and get on the floor. The bell sounds and a pretty decent fight starts. Riley gets the upper hand, but Eli has the ref distracted, giving Punk the chance to break free. As the fight continues on, Eli is unaware of the venomous eyes watching her until it's too late. A pair of arms grabs her from behind; her scream gets Punk's attention who then turns his back on Riley. Chris Jericho is her captor. He appears to whisper something sinister in her ear, but what he really tells her is to prepare to catch herself. Riley attacks Punk from behind, a three count follows the assault. Punk struggles to recover, getting to his knees just in time to see Jericho's nasty smirk as he snaps Eli forward, the small woman colliding harshly with the side of the ring. Her small body crashes to the floor, seemingly unconscious. It's hard for her not to laugh when the crowd reacts. "Look at that Punk," Chris motions to Eli's crumpled form on the ground, the man somehow retrieving a microphone. "Look at what you caused. Doesn't that just make you want a drink? Don't you want to numb away that guilt? It must be eating you alive. Just give in Punk, give in."

Punk is standing at this point, yelling hard to hear threats and curses at Jericho. Before she knows it, a pair of arms is pulling her up, her head rolls and she groans, her eyes fixing on Punk's form. He was clearly in pain but his concern was obvious. More words are exchanged. Jericho had left the arena before Punk exited the ring. He slings one of her arms around his shoulders, supporting her with his body, before moving back up the ramp with her.

Once they are through the curtain, Eli gives them space, standing on her own. Before either of them say a word Chris comes over, looking Eli over. "You're okay, right?"

"It's gonna bruise, but nothing major, went as planned Chris. Thanks for the warning." She grinned, eyes shifting to Phil who was staring pretty intently at her.

"No problem, kiddo." Chris nodded, sideways glancing at Phil with a smirk. "She's a tough one, eh?" Phil returned his smirk with one of his own and Chris walked off with a wave.

"So," Eli smiled, "I'm free Friday. When should I pick you up?"

"I'll pick YOU up at 7, outside the hotel."

"Well geez, I thought I was the one taking you out?"

He was still smirking. "I'll save that dinner you owe me for another time; I got a place I want to take you."

"Casual or fancy?"

"Dress nice sweetheart." Was all he said before he walked off towards hospitality.

A squeal startled Eli, who turned quickly in Barbie's direction. The blonde was standing off to the side with Cameron and Naomi (Ariane and Trinity), and had just witnessed everything that had just happened. The Brodus Clay dancers both wore smirks. "Wow Eli! And you were so worried about working with him!"

"Hey Barbs! Ari, Tri." Eli greeted cheerfully, her cheeks flushed. She had already talked to Barbie before the show and her fellow Diva was excited for her. "He's a great guy." she nodded.

"No kidding! That was so impossibly cute." Barbie gushed.

Ariane and Trinity excused themselves; they were on deck and had to get ready with George/Brodus. "When can you get out of here, I was thinking we could go get a couple drinks, I need to wind down." Eli questioned, head tilting to the side.

"I'd love to, but I already made plans with Cody. He wants a Super Smash Bro's rematch. He can't stand it when I kick his butt with the princess chick."

Eli laughed loudly. An image of Barbie and Cody bickering over video games flashing through her head, "I thought you were supposed to let guys win at shit like that. Something about bruising their egos."

"HA! Cody's ego is so inflated he could spare some of that air. 'Sides, my ego needs a little of that." Barbie declares. "Anyways I got to go find him, ask Vikki I think her and Rosa were planning to get drinks."

"Thanks have fun with Cody." Eli replied as Barbie began her hunt for her boyfriend. With a sigh, Eli headed back to the locker room. She'd wanted to talk to Barbie about some things she wouldn't feel comfortable talking about with any of the other girls. She could always try Helena's phone when she got back to the hotel. Her little sister did always say that the time didn't matter.

When she got back to her hotel room she found a yellow package had been slipped under the door. She immediately knew what it was. Her flight ticket to London, her bus assignment (She'd be rooming with Barbie, Milena/Rosa, Beth, and the twins.), and the European tour schedule. She had a lot of anxiety about going overseas but she couldn't be more thankful for the friendships she'd developed.

Running the shower Eli got cleaned up. She hadn't even bothered changing out of her ring attire before leaving. The tight black leather pants and the small belted black leather top were pretty simple but horribly uncomfortable. Her gear also included a pair of flat knee high boots and a single elbow length glove that didn't have a middle finger or a thumb. It was gimmicky to say the least.

Once settled in her bed, Eli dialed Helena's number and waited. It rang three times before voicemail picked up. She sighed, "Hey Lena, it's your big sister calling. Give me a ring when you get this. Love ya!"

Curling up in the comforter, she clicked the tv on, drifting off into a slumber. Her last thought was of Phil and how excited she was about going on a real date with him.


End file.
